Page 44 of Christmas Wishes

“Yeah. I don’t have any guests booked for a while.”

Keaton lifted his head from my shoulder and turned to face me. The temperature dropped twenty degrees without his body heat.

“I need to see you for this conversation.” His expression was serious. “Why are you offering?”

Couldn’t he have just said yes? We had totalkabout it? Fuck.

“Because we could have more sex.” It was the truth. Why not be honest about it? Sure, there were other reasons I enjoyed having him around, but why make it weird? Telling him that with him in the house, it felt more like mine instead of me crashing at Nico’s place? Nah.

Keaton’s lips curved into a wide smile. “Well, if sex is on the table, it’s an offer worth considering.” He fell quiet for a moment and looked like he was thinking. “What will I do? Loiter at the coffee shop?”

I considered keeping my mouth shut, but it was easy to speak my mind around Keaton. “Make videos.”

Keaton narrowed his eyes. “Arlo would like you.”

That made me grin. Not sure why the hypothetical approval of his best friend mattered, but it felt like a win.

“Any other stuff you want to see? You could check out Flagstaff. Do a Grand Canyon tour. Crochet a blanket. Go skiing.”

As soon as I said skiing, Keaton’s face drained of color.

“Not skiing. I don’t do that.” He shook his head rapidly.

Clearly something had happened there, but I didn’t want to push. “No big deal. If you decide you want to try it, I can take you.” I wasn’t sure how I’d fit it into my schedule, but if he wanted to go, I’d make it happen. “There’s also good hot chocolate and a gondola.”

“Gondola? I guess that part doesn’t sound too bad.”

Keaton pulled his attention away from me and looked around the nondescript room. There was a bed, two nightstands, and a dresser without more than the bare minimum of my belongings. I might as well have been a guest in the Airbnb for how much I’d settled in.

“Is this the main bedroom?”

“No. That’s at the end of the hall. This is a guest room.”

Keaton didn’t look at me with pity but understanding. “Mattress is comfy.” He crawled toward me and lay beside me, tucking himself under my arm.

I reached up with my other arm to turn off the lamp. My body immediately relaxed with him there.

I thought he’d drifted off, but he spoke a few minutes later. “Thanks for the offer of letting me stay. I’ll talk to Arlo about it.”

“Of course. If he needs you, you should be there for him.” I didn’t know much about his best friend, but through the stories he’d shared while I was a captive listener at the breakfast table, I’d understood that Keaton was a major source of support and comfort for Arlo. Probably likewise.

Keaton kissed the top of my pec. “Thank you.”

His lips seared me like a brand right over my heart.

Chapter23

Keaton

“Joule, I have a toy for you,”I said in a sing-song as I waved the feather, jingly toy on the end of a long stick.

When Riggs had gotten up this morning—way too early for a Sunday—he’d nearly tripped over a toy Joule had left for him outside his bedroom door. He’d begrudgingly admitted over coffee that he’d followed my advice about the treats. I was thrilled it had paid off so quickly. I was certain Joule just needed a little convincing to come around.

“C’mon, sweetie. I want to give you more treats, but I need to see you first.”

A flash of gray raced from under the couch to behind the TV stand.

“There you are!” I jingled the toy more, then tossed it out as far as the line would let me, like casting for a fish.

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